Kokoda Trail campaign

The Kokoda Trail campaign was a campaign of World War II which took place from 21 July to 16 November 1942 on the island of New Guinea. The Japanese landed 13,500 troops under Hisaichi Terauchi at Buna-Gona and instructed Terauchi to advance south and capture Port Moresby. The Japanese made rapid progress and succeeded in advancing towards the Owen Stanley Range, and Australian and local Papuan forces decided to resist them. The Australians were initially undermanned, but they would later gain the support of some Australian militia reinforcements, and the Japanese faced an opponent with equal training and quality. For months, the Australians delayed the Japanese advance, and malaria struck both sides. The Australians conducted a fighting retreat until Port Moresby was in sight, but the Japanese general Tomitaro Horii was instructed to wage defensive warfare from 24 September. The Japanese would begin to withdraw, and the two sides would later meet at the Battle of Buna-Gona on 16 November 1942-22 January 1943.